What did 27-year-old Piotr Kowalski film in the Tatra mountains? Take a look at the video and see what you think. Is it a man in a “monkey suit”? Or has Kowalski captured footage of a genuine apelike creature in Poland?

The story with the video from Jason Clarke at Morning Starr (not “Morning Star” as previously mentioned) follows:

A holiday maker in Poland has filmed what could be the Polish Yeti.

27 year old Piotr Kowalski from Warsaw was on a walking holiday in the Polish Tatra mountains when he saw a large ape-like creature standing in the rocks ahead of him.

“I saw this huge ape-like form hiding behind the rocks. When I saw it it was like being struck by a thunderbolt,” he told the Superexpress.

“Coming from Warsaw, I never really believed the local stories of a wild mountain ape-man roaming the slopes. But, now I do.”

The video has been handed over to the Nautilus Foundation, a Polish organisation which specialises in the paranormal and cryptozoolgy.

“The film clearly shows ‘something’ that moves on two legs and is bigger than a normal man,” says Robert Bernatowicz, president of the Nautilus Foundation.

“But because the camera shakes so much it is difficult to say what it is exactly. We need to go to the site and see what traces, if any, were left.

About Loren ColemanLoren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

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26 Responses to “Polish Yeti Footage”

While I remain skeptic of the authenticity of this film, if it did indeed turn out to be footage of a real ape-man that would really turn the tides in favor of cryptozoological studies. A real film of this magnitude could finally balance the funding given to cryptozoologists and enable them to perform more indepth research.

My first impression was that this was just some other guy hanging around looking at rocks. I don’t see anything other than human about the shape, and the behavior is suspicious. First he’s looking amongst the rocks — for what? And apparently oblivious to the cameraman. Then he turns around and starts toward the cameraman, making what can only be a deliberately poor effort to hide behind a big rock. It is not plausible behavior for an animal that could remain unknown to science.

I don’t get it, why such a short clip? This isn’t like other blobsquatches that usually disappear into the trees. This “Yeti” has literally a couple of big rocks to hide behind, other than that it is out in the open in full view of this guys camera/cellphone. If its a video camera there is no excuse for a 40 second video clip and even if it is a cellphone I understand that the clips they can record are limited in length but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a whole series of clips. If I were seeing a creature purported to only be myth and I had the ability to take recorded evidence I would be recording until my cellphone was busting at the gut.

I agree it is too “ambiguous” for it to be the “smoking gun” evidence to “prove” the existence of Sasquatch-like creatures around the world.
The shakiness of the camera could be attributed to the fact that the shooter of the video may have been terrified/nervous/suprised. I almost certainly would be if I had just come upon a creature like that.

Sorry, Vqsnapp—unlike you, I’m no “hero.”
And even with more “clear” video, to be honest, a good portion of folks would still be unconvinced. Only an actual dead body would satisfy some people. The PG footage is a prime example of this.

But I’m not ready to brand this a a hoax just yet.
More evidence needs to be collected.
Some questions:
Is this the only footage available? Was there some editing (chopping off) of extra footage?
Did Kowalski attempt to go behind the rock and find out if the Yeti was still there? So and so forth…
Whatever this ultimately is—
It does definitely deserve closer scrutiny…
Great post, Loren.

the shaky camera I can believe…people’s hands and arms for the most part do not have much in the way of stabilization. Especially if you were seeing something really weird. On the other hand (she had warts), the short forty second clip is odd. IF I were filming something like that, I’d be heading in that direction and keeping the camera at the ready for whenevver it emerged…of course, I’m a crypto-nut, so of course I would.

I think the bottom line is we have four possibilities: a) the footage is a hoax with the guy’s buddy walking around in a suit. b) it’s genuine. c) the guy shooting the footage is being duped by someone in a suit who is hoaxing. and d) another possibility I haven’t thought of yet:)

All in all, we’re getting to the point that you cannot trust any footage/pictures completely with the ability to obtain BF related costumes and photoshopping anymore. Film and photography footage is worth about two nickels…anything, real or not is going to be thrown into a corner and picked apart by both sides.

I would tend to think it is a hoax because of the way every time a clear picture of the “being” appears the camera immediately pulls away. However if you watch the way the “being” walks it is perfectly at home walking among those rocks, or else there is a path along there for the person in the suit to walk on.

Another point in favor of being real. Unless I’m mistaken those rocks are quite large and the “being” looks quite large in relationship to them. Unless, of course, it is a very tall/large person in a monkey suit, and most of those are not very easy to walk in.

I question the authenticity of this video. It just doesn’t feel right. The camera work seems “desperately” random. The slow shuffling movement of this “creature” is exaggerated and unrealistic. It seems as if an amateur is attempting to portray a large and lumbering creature (think of a small child pretending to be a monster). Oh no… Look at me! Here I am… I’m a monster! Walking slowly… Arrrrrgggghhhh!

The “creature” in the video appears to look down (as if through a mask) at its feet as it traverses difficult terrain at 0:32 seconds, I think a real creature would have more situational awareness. The “creature” also seems completely unaware of the camera man’s presence throughout the video. (Have you ever noticed how squirrels know that you’re looking at them, even when they can’t see you? What’s that about?) I have very little doubt that this video is a hoax, and as the kids say these days “EPIC FAIL”!

Really the only way to confirm that its “Bigger than a man” is to go back to the location of the video and make some measurements. With the rock giving a good guestimate of the height of the creature. Anyone here from Poland?

What a load of rubbish. How come all the evidence that is released by “hikers” is of such poor quality. Today, even basic cameras and video equipment comes with software that enables shake free, auto focus, steady pictures. A fake for sure.

Man, when you compare the physique of those Polish Bigfoot with Patty, they should be named Littlefoot!

Maybe they ought to start working out in the gym more, because not only are they puny but they move like little old men, all stooped over and peering about as if they’ve lost their glasses and can’t remember where they’ve left their crutch.

For that matter, this one seems so senile he doesn’t even seem to know not so much WHO he is as WHAT he is. Maybe Polish Social Services ought to get involved.

There is nothing about the ape-like creature or the behavior of the camera man that’s overly suspicious so as to make me conclude that it is a hoax. However, reports of Bigfoot coming from Europe – even heavily wooded Poland – make me feel very very uncomfortable.

Well, one thing the eyewitness evidence is pretty much unanimous on is that the animal’s proportion and movements – whether we’re talking yeti, sasquatch or one of their variants – aren’t human. Reminiscent, human-like, but very clearly, to witnesses, NOT human.

In my opinion, any alleged video of an alleged hairy hominoid goes into the circ file if it looks like a guy in a suit.

I don’t know, its interesting. It could either be a hoax or the real thing. Its too far away to say for sure, when he zooms in it does look like a bigfoot but it could also be a guy wearing a suit. An investigator would have to go talk to the guy who was filming and also his friend he was talking to in order to find out more. Are these guys known for being practical jokers? Or are they solid citizens and appear to be legitimate and credible? Its definitely the most interesting footage I have seen in a very long time, regardless of its authenticity questions.

Hello, this is fascinating. I think it is probably genuine. My fiance is Polish, so of course we are really interested in this. There are different local names for the creature in Eurasia, but Almasty is probably the best-known name used by researchers in Russia/Caucasus region.

We knew that there was a chance that the Almasty existed in Poland, as Poland is right next to the western frontier of the known range of the creature. Based on the observations we have read (thousands have been documented), the Almasty has a huge range from the west of Ukraine and Belarus, both countries right next to Poland, right across the vast territories of Russia and Kazakstan, to the Himalayas where the Yeti is seen. This gives a total range twice as large as North America and with many large, remote mountainous and forested areas (check on a map).

The Polish Tatra mountains are part of the 400 mile-long Carparthian mountains that extend east into Ukraine and Romania (Transylvania). Although parts of the Tatras are well-visited by tourists, much of it has a low population density, similar to the remote regions in Russia where the Almasty is known to the locals and many observations are documented. So, although this is huge and gripping news, perhaps it should not be quite so surprising.

In the Tatra mountains, there is a local tradition where visitors are photographed standing with a huge white two-legged creature. My fiance had previously thought that this was a type of strange bear but we now wonder if it could originally have been a representation of the Almasty.

As for what the Polish observors are saying, well it’s along these lines: “Look, look over there. What’s that? Is it a goat? No, higher up. What is it?”

I think the shakiness is perfectly understandable, as they have to zoom in a long distance to focus on the creature, which means it would be almost impossible to keep the image still. The great distance also explains why the creature seems unware, or at least unbothered, by them. And also, why the observors did not just ‘head in that direction’ as someone asked. The rocks also look enormous and I guess that is also why they did not try to go there.

This seems to be a common problem – there have been many observations by researchers in Eurasia but often at a long distance like this (eg. on the other side of a valley), where the creature can be easily seen, but it is almost impossible to photograph, at least with normal cameras.

Yes, it does look very human, but not Homo sapiens. So, assuming it is not a hoax (I see little reason to think it’s a hoax), for now I guess it is a real Almasty. We look forward to hopefully hearing more on the ‘Polish Almasty’ in future.

No animal is going to ham it for the camera and turn its head from side to side scanning the scenery on the lookout; it would have greater visual acuity than a human and keep its eyes on the human threat.

We know he can keep the camera still at brief intervals during the course of the film; otherwise there is way too much camera shake seemingly with an artificial akwardness on purpose (to blur a fur suit?).

And the duration is too short. Is there clearer subsequent footage from stalking around the point of the “creatures” departure behind the rock for the right price from the Tabloids, which IF it was a real animal, most people would naturally have attempted…

Or would additional footage just present more time to see un-animal type behavior and a zipper. (animals are much swifter, strionger and more adept than humans over rough terrain.)

I don’t have familiarity with the level of European Wildman reports historically coming out from the greater Poland geographic area.

But even as there are Sasquatch animals in North America, there are also Sasquatch hoaxes in North America.

The camera spends half the time filming the ground, the video only lasts for 46 seconds, and, my favorite part, you can clearly hear the guys giggling as the video starts to roll. No, wait, my favorite part is the guy in the gorilla suit trying not fall on the rocks and break his neck. Some of the funniest “animal behavior” I’ve ever seen.

The video material, which you have posted here, was widely broadcasted by polish organisation called Nautilus. Nautilus is known for making very materials whith very doubtful authenticity. That’s why many of polish researchers consider this video recording as fake.

There was also second video broadcasted by Nautilus. The video showed a girl takind bath in a river. After a moment the girl screams and cameraman directs his phone camera onto a place where we see something moving between woods. At this moment video ends… This material is also considered as fake.